1. A VITAL NETWORK

Let’s boost walking and cycling’s share of Auckland’s total transport budget to at least 5% until the job is done.

Great cycleways are magnetic! Auckland’s iconic bike paths are drawing record numbers. SeaPath and SkyPath are on the horizon. An eastern path from Glen Innes to town is under way, and more off-road and protected bike lanes are coming. The recent burst of investment from the Urban Cycleways Fund has kickstarted a whole new world of possibility.

We have the beginnings of a brilliant network – but there are so many gaps to fill, and we’re still playing catch-up after decades of underfunding. We need the current investment to continue, so we can make the most of this momentum. It’s wise prioritising of transport investment: cycling infrastructure delivers exceptional value for money, and every journey taken on foot or on a bike frees up space on the road and on public transport.

So let’s seize the moment, and ensure Auckland builds a vital network, designed cleverly and delivered quickly.

2. MORE LOCAL LINKS

Let’s encourage each Local Board to deliver the most important neighbourhood routes over the next term – helped by an Auckland Cycleway Fund for kickstarting local projects.

People of all ages should feel able to bike to work, schools, shops, sports fields, to visit friends… or just out and about for fresh air. So we need safe routes in our neighbourhoods – to connect us to the big cycleways and transport hubs, and for easy bikeable trips to local destinations.

A new greenways design guide is in the works, which will help make these connections much more useful for people on bikes. But getting them built depends on Local Board support and funding. So we’re calling for a local version of the contestable Urban Cycleways Fund, to maximise Local Board investment. Call it joined-up thinking, call it the network effect – either way, it’s good for your ‘hood.

3. SAFER STREETS

Let’s calm traffic around our schools, in our town centres and on residential streets, for a more people-friendly city.

Our town centres and the streets we live on should be places to enjoy, not just spaces to drive through. Above all, our children have the right to walk and bike safely and independently, and to cross the street to visit friends.

But with traffic currently rushing past schools, shops and homes at 50kmh, we’re not just a long way from a liveable city, we’re struggling to be a survivable one. We need friendlier streets, more forgiving and more welcoming for everyone who uses them.

With better design for slower speeds and safer streets, everyone wins. Stop-start traffic flow improves, rat-running is discouraged, walking and biking become more enjoyable for all ages – and neighbourhoods come together.

Like our poster?

Download and print it out, for display at work, at home, local café, libraries – anywhere you’d like to share the vision of what a bikeable Auckland could be! It’s formatted for A3, and can be printed any size. (PDF, 2.8mb)